MLS Picks for Kicks: Whitecaps Will Roll TFC in Opener

MLS Week 1 Preview and Odds

Toronto FC (+380) at Vancouver Whitecaps (-154) Draw (+200)

If Vancouver coach Martin Rennie has his way, last season’s playoff debut will merely serve as a stepping stone for this season’s Whitecaps. Now, after becoming the first Canadian team to play in the MLS postseason, a successful run in the postseason is an expectation. That goal begins Saturday at home to Toronto FC.

Vancouver gave the eventual MLS champion L.A. Galaxy all they could handle in a 2-1 playoff loss last year. Everything is looking up since then. The Whitecaps went 6-1-1 in preseason play with four of those coming against MLS opponents. They scored 17 goals in those matches and appear much livelier moving forward with new additions Daigo Kobayashi and Nigel Reo-Coker pushing the pace in midfield. Even Camilo Sanvezzo looked in midseason form last weekend, scoring three times in the club’s preseason finale.

“We’ve got more pace, more players who are dangerous in the final third than last season,” Rennie told the Vancouver Sun.  “We still have to defend well and be hard to play against and, if you do that, you don’t have to score 70-80 goals. But the signs from the preseason are very positive in averaging more than two goals a game.”

Two goals will be more than enough Saturday. The only real positive for Toronto heading into Saturday’s game is that it can’t get much worse after last year. Despite the offseason changes that will surely help the team down the road, The Reds’ lineup is still full of question marks for the time being. Toronto is going to have major problems containing the Whitecaps and it looks like Vancouver’s ready to make the most of its chances. It’s going to take the Reds a while to come together while the Whitecaps hit the ground running. Final score: Vancouver 3, Toronto 0.

D.C. United (+205) at Houston Dynamo (-105) Draw (+235)

It doesn’t sound like D.C. United will have Dwayne De Rosari in the lineup Saturday after he allegedly head butted Philadelphia’s Danny Cruz in the final preseason match. That would be a huge loss after De Rosari piled up seven goals and 12 assists despite missing seven games last year. Houston’s a team to watch out for after last season’s run to the MLS Cup. The Dynamo gets one in the first half and holds on.
Final score: Houston 1, D.C. 0.

Montreal Impact (+420) at Seattle Sounders (-182) Draw (+245)

Last year the Impact choked away a playoff berth because of poor conditioning and execution in the second half of games. That’s not going to happen this year after the club hired  Marco Schallibaum as the new coach and Paolo Pacione as its new trainer. Seattle could be a team set to make a deep run in the playoffs, but Montreal will be tough with Nesta at the back, Bernier in the middle and Di Vaio up front. Final score: Montreal 1, Seattle 1.

Chicago Fire (+270) at L.A. Galaxy (-118) Draw (+225)

Robbie Keane officially took over as Galaxy captain for Landon Donovan earlier this week, though the team doesn’t expect anything to change. Donovan is out until next month and Keane has always been a great leader for the side. While the Galaxy will contend again this year, things are different without David Beckham in the mix. Remember that it took L.A. a long time to get its act together last season and that could be the case again this year. Beware the MLS Cup hangover, friends. Chicago is a team to keep on your radar early in the year. The Fire pulls off an upset on the road.  Final score: Chicago 2, L.A. 1.